The Chargers Hunter Henry (86) catches a pass in the back of the end zone to score a touchdown during the fourth quarter Sunday against the Eagles. The Los Angeles Chargers host the Philadelphia Eagles in a National Football League game Sunday October 1, 2017 at the StubHub Center in Carson. The Eagles defeat the Chargers 26-24. (Will Lester-Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Chargers tight end Hunter Henry, left, makes the catch in front of New Orleans cornerback De’Vante Harris at th StubHub Center in Carson on Sunday, August 20, 2017. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Los Angeles Chargers’ Hunter Henry is wrapped up by the Miami Dolphins’ Mike Hull, left, and Byron Maxwell during the Chargers’ 19-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Stub Hub Center in Carson, CA on Sunday, September 17, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry (86) is unable to make the touch down catch as he is hit by Denver Broncos free safety Darian Stewart (26) in the first half of the game at StubHub Center Sunday in Carson, CA. October 22, 2017.
(TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)

COSTA MESA — If you must cut ties with a franchise legend, it’s best to do so with a worthy successor on deck.

So say this for the Chargers: Their decision not to retain future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates was an unsentimental business move, but they finalized it knowing they have a budding star at tight end.

“We really felt like this Hunter Henry’s time,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said last Friday. “We need to get him even more involved than we did in the past.”

“I’m honored that Tom would say that,” Henry said this week, after recognizing Gates as a valued mentor and one of football’s all-time greats. “I’m ready to go.”

GOAT! This guy took me under his wing and treated me like brother. Thankful for my 2 years with him. He is special. I can’t wait to be there when he is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame! #beasthttps://t.co/L5ZuHJsQtu

Some would argue he’s been ready for a while. After leading the Chargers with eight touchdown catches as a rookie in 2016, Henry was primed for a second-year breakout. Sure, Gates was on the cusp of a career NFL tight end scoring record, but it seemed obvious that the second-round pick out of Arkansas would seize the baton sooner rather than later.

It didn’t happen. Henry played well, but his statistical contributions were unpredictable from week to week. He caught for at least 70 yards in three of the first nine games — but pulled in fewer than 20 yards in five other outings.

Those mercurial performances frustrated fans to no end, particularly when placed within the context of the Chargers’ overall record. When Henry saw at least five targets, the Chargers were 7-1. When he didn’t, they were 0-6. Given that the team missed the playoffs on a wild-card tiebreaker … well, it’s hard not to wonder.

A lacerated kidney ended Henry’s season in Week 15, giving him a final stat line of 45 catches for 579 yards and four touchdowns. Solid, but unspectacular. Six other tight ends matched or bested Henry in all three categories, including Giants rookie Evan Engram.

Henry is more well-rounded than many of the names ahead of him, but his pedestrian box-score presence has kept him from becoming a household name. Will that change now that he and Gates no longer share the same locker room?

Even at 37 years old, Gates drew 52 targets last season, 9 percent of the Chargers’ overall total. If Henry soaks up even half of those looks, he could be on pace for something like 88 targets, 62 catches, 805 yards and six touchdowns.

Last year, such a line would have placed him squarely among the game’s top five tight ends — behind only Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz, who have earned nine combined Pro Bowl selections.

But if Henry does end up in Orlando next January, Gates will deserve partial credit.

Henry acknowledges feeling intimidated when he joined the Chargers two years ago, a 21-year-old rookie hoping to learn from one of the game’s all-time greats. But Gates made it easy on him. His own legacy long secured, the veteran embraced his role as a mentor, teaching Henry the nuances of route-running and footwork, and fine-tuning his mental preparation for games.

“He took me under his wing and taught me everything he could these past two years,” Henry said. “It’s been incredible. He’s still a great friend of mine.”

Jack Wang covers the Chargers, the latest NFL team to relocate to Los Angeles. He previously covered the Rams, and also spent four years on the UCLA beat, a strange period in which the Bruins' football program often outpaced their basketball team. He is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he spent most of his time in The Daily Californian offices in Eshleman Hall — a building that did not become earthquake-safe until after his time on campus.

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